The length of time required to manufacture a sleigh-type rocking chair (trade name SleighRocker™) is excessive. Current production methods absorb over 100 man-hours per chair, thereby making it expensive. The underlying problem is the method used to form the wood into the curved pieces which define the lines of the chair, making it resemble a sleigh. Thin wood pieces are steam-bent, formed and laminated to create the shape of the sleigh. By refining this method of parts formation to the extent that the parts become mass producible, the potential exists to greatly reduce the amount of time required to produce a chair, thereby making the chair far less expensive. This labor and subsequent price reduction has the added effect of exponentially broadening the potential customer base by being able to offer the chairs at a price that is affordable to a larger number of people.
Previous attempts to streamline the production of the sleigh-forming parts include the following approach:                (1) Formation of the parts from solid stock by making precise cuts with a band saw; multiple pieces can be stacked and cut all at once, with the only limitations being the available cutting height of the band saw, and the skill level of the person operating it. This approach creates inherent weak points in pieces where the curvature crosses weaker parts in the grain structure of solid stock wood. This method produces parts more quickly, but the parts it produces are far weaker structurally, and present the potential for liabilities in cases of broken chairs. It also requires individual joints to be cut for each connecting piece.        (2) Formation of the parts by rough-cutting on a band saw, finishing with a router template. This approach is a faster method of producing the structurally inferior parts described above with respect to approach (1) above.        (3) The combination of multiple parts into a single larger part, laminating thin pieces of wood that have been steamed and then promptly bent to form to the sleigh-defining shapes. This approach does not overcome the shortcomings of prior methods because, while it reduces the number of functional parts needed for a single chair, the parts that are needed are more complex to produce with adequate accuracy and structural integrity. The result is a structurally strong chair that has fewer parts and necessary glue joints, but the process of making both the parts and the joints is very time-consuming. This method also has an inherent waste factor of fifty percent or more of the raw wood material, because ⅛″ is consumed by the kerf (blade width) of every strip that is cut.        (4) The use of multiple steam boxes, racks and forms. This approach does not overcome the shortcomings of prior methods because the pieces still require over a week to steam, form, dry, glue and then shape by hand. Another shortcoming of this method is the sheer number of individual thin pieces that must be cut, steamed, bent, dried and finally laminated to form a single chair part. This approach is also deficient in that it requires an extra laborer for every steam box in operation; that laborer must be highly skilled in the art of steam-bending.        
A computer numerical control (CNC) router, which can serve as an automated wood cutting machine, makes precise cuts that are programmed by computer-aided design (CAD) software. CNC routers are capable of cutting on x-, y- and z-axes. The router motor itself travels on a system of rails to maneuver it about the object being cut. The most sophisticated models are capable of changing cutting tools automatically, when required by the object being produced. By employing computer numerical control wood milling machinery, the component parts that make up the present sleigh-type rocking chair can be accurately cut in rapid succession from pre-laminated stock.
The present sleigh-type rocking chair design and method of manufacture overcomes many shortcomings of prior designs and manufacturing methods.